West Bengal: An Overview
In terms of population, West Bengal ranks as the fourth most populated state in India.
Districts of West Bengal
There are 23 districts in the state and they are as follows:
Alipurduar, Bankura, Birbhum, Burdwan, Cooch Behar, Dakshin Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Hooghly, Howrah, Jalpaiguri, Jhargram, Kalimpong, Kolkata, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Paschim Medinipur, Purba Medinipur, Purulia, South 24 Parganas, Uttar Dinajpur and West Burdwan.
Divisions of West Bengal
There are three divisions in the state and they are the Jalpaiguri division, Burdwan division, and Presidency division.
Area of West Bengal
The state covers a total area of 34,267.3 sq miles or 88,752 km2.
Population of West Bengal
According to the census performed in 2011, the population of the state is 91,347,736.
Tourist Attractions in West Bengal
The state is known all over the globe for the Sunderbans. It has twenty-three districts and the major cities are Kolkata, Siliguri, Burdwan, Durgapur, Kharagpur, Darjeeling and Malda.
The state is home to two very big natural zones and they are the sub-Himalayan and Himalayan region to the north and the Gangetic Plain to the south..
The neighboring states are Jharkhand , Odisha , Sikkim , bihar , and Assam. The state shares its international boundaries with Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Economy
The principal occupation of the people of the state is farming. It makes the sixth highest contribution to the Gross Domestic Product of the country.
Education in West Bengal
The state is a pioneer in bringing modern education in India. Given below are the names of the famous educational institutes in the state:
Government of West Bengal
At present, the Governor of the state is Mr. Keshari Nath Tripathi. He is appointed by the President of India for a term of five years and acts as the constitutional head of the state. The Chief Minister of West Bengal is Smt. Mamata Banerjee who represents the Trinamool Congress party. The Legislative Assembly or Vidhan Sabha of the state is unicameral in nature and contains 295 seats.
Geography of West Bengal
The state has diverse geographical features which include towering summits of the Himalayan Mountain Range, flat terrain, rivers, and sea. The state shares its boundaries with the Himalayas in the north and the Bay of Bengal to the south. To the west, it is bordered by the states of Jharkhand and Bihar. To the east, it is edged by Bangladesh. To the northeast, it is bordered by Assam, Sikkim and Bhutan. The territory of Nepal lies to the northwest. The state of Orissa is situated to the southwest of the state.
Landforms
The state is made up of the following varieties of landforms:
- Darjeeling Himalayan hill region
- Terai region
- North Bengal plains
- Rarh region
- Coastal plain
- Sunderbans
- Western plateau and high lands
- Ganges delta
Agro-climatic regions
The state can be divided into the following agro-climatic regions:
- The Teesta and Terai alluvial areas of North Bengal
- The mountainous areas in the north
- The shoreline alluvial areas in the south
- The red, laterectic, and severely rolling areas to the west
- The Vindhya alluvial area in the middle
- The Gangetic alluvial area in the west
West Bengal State Information | |
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Capital | Kolkata |
Date of formation | 26/01/50 |
Governor | C. V. Ananda Bose |
Chief Minister | Mamata Banerjee |
Tourist attractions | Victoria Memorial, Vidyasagar Setu, Shantiniketan, Darjeeling |
Festivals | Durga Puja, Rabindra Jayanti |
Major dance and music forms | Jatra theatre; Baul; Rabindrasangeet |
Arts and crafts | Terracotta Bankura horses; Kalighat style of painting; hand-woven Baluchari Silk textiles |
Languages | Bengali, Hindi, Urdu |
Size | 88,752 sq. km |
Population (Census 2011) | 91276115 |
Rivers | Hooghly, Teesta, Torsa, Subarnarekha, Joldhara |
Forests and wildlife sanctuaries | Sunderbans Tiger Reserve, Jaldapara WS |
State animal | Fishing cat |
State bird | White-throated kingfisher |
State flower | Shephali |
State tree | Devil tree or chatian |
Major crops | Rice, maize, oil seeds, sugarcane |
Factoids | Bengali literature developed early thanks to the cultural awakening brought about by the Brahmo Samaj. |
Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, was from Bengal. | |
No. of District | 23 |
Blogs about West Bengal
Diwali Celebrations in Different Regions of India : Diwali, the ancient Indian festival, has been celebrated for ages in various parts of the country with great enthusiasm and fun. With many religious significances associated with the festival, there are multiple ways of celebrating this festival too in different regions of India. In most parts of India, Diwali is celebrated for five days. • First Day, Dhanteras: Worshipping of Lord Yama and buying of metal objects • Second Day, Choti Diwali, Roop Chaturdashi, Narak Chaturdasi • Third Day,…
Hollywood Films Shot in India : What has become more prominent than the story in a film? The locales - exotic and exquisite. The need to have a foreign location has become so pivotal that sometimes the makers shoot the entire film abroad, at times just for the sake of it. Likewise, there are so many Hollywood production houses who chose to shoot in India since it is exotic to them. However, the only difference is, their stories are often apt…
Mobile Games Addiction, A Threat to Life of Teenagers : Participation in active sports is essential for kids for their overall development. Outdoor games provide various mental and physical health benefits, it is a vital cog for every growing child. Sports enhance social skills, creativity and imagination as well. Therefore, conscious parents always encourage their children to play outdoor games, in order to remain physically fit and mentally alert. Digital change At present things have changed, with the advent of the digital entertainment media. In…
Cyclone Alert: Odisha And Bengal Brace to Fight Cyclone Amphan : Cyclone storm Amphan over central parts of the South Bay of Bengal is turning into a severe weather menace as per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin on Monday morning. The severe effects of the storm have reached West Bengal and Odisha in India and Bangladesh. Cyclone Amphan wrecks parts of WB, Kolkata airport waterlogged The devastating cyclone storm Amphan made landfall near Sundarbans between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) on Wednesday afternoon.…
PM Set to Announce Lockdown Extension; States Roll Out Lockdown Till April 30 : Despite the lockdown, the nationwide COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not made any announcement on the extension of the three-week lockdown yet. Still, he has advocated the lockdown policy in his meeting with chief ministers via video conference on Saturday. PM likely to extend lockdown Seeing the seriousness of the situation, the nationwide lockdown amid novel coronavirus is expected to be extended until the end of April. PM Modi during…
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Last Updated on :26 July 2023West Bengal Route Maps
Famous Personalities of West Bengal
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